Q: I am enclosing photos of a set that was in my great-grandmother’s Missouri hotel, then passed through my grandmother and mother to me. Can you please give me an idea of its origin, vintage and current value?

A: Your three-piece parlor set is from the turn of the 20th century. The style is more Empire Revival than Art Nouveau. The set is factory made of birch with a mahogany finish.

That is called “simulated mahogany” and was correctly explained in the 1902 Sears catalog as being both stronger and less expensive than genuine mahogany. The set has mahogany veneer on the splats.

The faces, carved in the manner of John Jelliff, are generally assumed to be the face of the mid-19th century Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind. I would expect your set to sell at auction in the $500 range.

Q: I have attached a picture of a rocking chair – very beautiful, but very unusual. I bought this rocking chair in a resale store. It has a fairly recent refinishing job. Very unusual spirals, “worms,” “onion domes” on the top of back posts, and a really professional “worm weave” (my term) in the gold diamond in the backrest. What is this? Period? Old? One of a kind? I think it is really beautiful, well made and surprisingly comfortable. Any thing you can tell me about it will be appreciated.

A: Your twist carved chair is in a style often used by the famous designer George Hunzinger.

He worked during the Renaissance Revival period of the late 19th century, 1880s, and was one the very few designers of the period who marked their work. If you chair is a Hunzinger chair, which I suspect it is, it will be plainly marked with the Hunzinger factory stamp. If it is a Hunzinger it is not one of a kind.

His factory worked on a production line making many of each example. If your chair can be verified as a Hunzinger it would sell at auction for around $1,000.